Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will try to behave myself today. I will retable that Adjournment matter following the break.

I refer to the need for a debate on the health service plan. I have raised a few instances of what is happening in the health service, as have many other colleagues. Last week the case of a seven year old with infantile scoliosos who had lost her medical card was brought to my attention. She is not entitled to a GP card and the HSE will not even pay for the back brace that she needs. That is what is happening on the ground. I respectfully ask the Leader again to do his best to get the Minister for Health into the House to outline what is happening in the health service and how services will be delivered this year and, in particular, to discuss the effects of the decisions being made on people such as this seven year old girl. She has lost her medical card, but her family cannot afford to pay for the brace that she needs. Her father had to pay €1,500 on his credit card for her. None of us wants to see this happen and I am certain none of the Government Members wants to see it either. However, the House is not sitting tomorrow. If the Minister was willing to do so, he would have come to the House before now. I, therefore, propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That the Minister for Health come to the House to discuss the issue of medical card provision, particularly for children and those with long-term and serious illnesses." Thousands of medical cards have been withdrawn.

Does the Leader agree that it is unhelpful for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to try to undermine the work of the Committee of Public Accounts? All of us agree that Mr. Frank Flannery has many questions to answer and that the committee is the forum for him to do this and put his case. It is welcome that the Taoiseach and other members of the Government support the call that Mr. Flannery appear before the committee, but the Minister has stated the Chairman of the committee is acting politically-----